As House prosecutors urged the public to closely follow the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte as a test of public accountability, one of their key witnesses has asked that his testimony be moved up to accommodate an official overseas commitment.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag has asked the House prosecution panel to reschedule his testimony before the Senate impeachment court because he will be attending an international law enforcement summit in Thailand.

The request came as House prosecution spokesperson Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the impeachment trial was intended not merely to prosecute a high-ranking official but to establish the standard of conduct expected of public servants.

“This is for our country because we are setting the standard for the conduct of a public officer, building on the trust that was given by voters — a public trust that should be protected,” Adiong said in a radio interview.

He urged the public to focus on the evidence presented during the proceedings instead of engaging in personal attacks against those involved in the trial.

“We have to set a higher standard in terms of national discourse because we have the right to know the accusations and to listen to the evidence of the prosecution,” he said.

A week down

The prosecution completed its first week of presenting evidence after authenticating and playing Vice President Duterte’s controversial 23 November 2024 press conference.

During the livestreamed event, Duterte said she has asked someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, if she herself is killed.

The defense has argued the remarks were merely conditional.

In a letter to House lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, Matibag said he could testify before or on 20 July before leaving for Thailand.

Matibag said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had invited him to attend the inaugural Regional Summit on Scam Center Compounds and Transnational Organized Crime in Bangkok on 21 and 22 July.

“As Director of the Bureau, I will personally attend to represent the NBI at this summit of director- and commissioner general-level law enforcement officials across the Asia-Pacific, which will require my attendance on those dates,” Matibag wrote.

He asked that his testimony be scheduled before his departure to avoid delaying the proceedings.

“In view thereof, I respectfully request that I be scheduled to take the witness stand prior to my departure so that my participation in the Summit will neither disrupt the proceedings nor delay the presentation of my testimony. I remain fully prepared to cooperate and to make myself available at any earlier date the Panel may determine,” he said.

The proceedings resume Monday, when NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc is scheduled to testify.